Superbowl Secret for Independent Artists

Independent artists, listen up!  This is your chance to take advantage of the upcoming NFL Superbowl event... especially if you're looking to pull new fans.  Only a few know and understand this little secret I'm about to share with you.

As an independent artist, the biggest challenge is finding new fans.  You don't have a big budget to consistently market your music on radio and TV and build awareness.  Nope, not happening.  So what can you do?  Well, you can do what is called "piggy-backing".  That's when you piggy-back off of a well known event like the Superbowl and attached your music to it.  You can simply make a song that is relevant to the Superbowl, either as a supporter of the Seattle Seahawks, the Denver Broncos, or just football in general.  Call it the "Superbowl Superhit" or something like that... just something to spark attention from someone who knows about the Superbowl but might not know about you.  Post it on your social networks and use the word "Superbowl" to get people clicking.  So, while you're entertaining everyone who is into the Superbowl, you can introduce your music at the same time.  Make sure you tell them what they should do next if they like it, like "share with your friends" or "visit my website for more".  

So many artists have blown up off of this technique alone... and all it takes is a little awareness...  we all want to be entertained by what's familiar.  It's the secret for success for all independent artists.  Good luck, and go Seahawks! lol I mean go Broncos!  I really mean, go YOU.

Happy Recording.

SLICK
Follow me @JackOfJazz
Listen to my first release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ys3jANqDFk
Check out my team's beats at http://www.sfrbeats.com

2014 Grammys - What to Learn from Lorde's "Royal" and Surprising Wins

How about those Grammy's!!  I thoroughly enjoyed the event... I'm not sure about you all!  I liked it because it had a perfect balance of old and new, commercial and not so commercial, and there were awards for all of those.  But really the two awards I was most impressed with were the ones that were handed to "Lorde"... for her breakout single "Royale".

I'm not going to talk you to death, but I'll just say this.  Lorde has proved to me that the world seeks different.  I mean, it seems to be common sense that artists should be different and unique to make it.  But time after time we hear the same stuff on the radio, see the same artists on TV, and hear the same style of music in the clubs, so independent artists will just gravitate to what they know.  WRONG IDEA!!  Independent artists should remind themselves they are INDEPENDENT for a reason.  It PAYS to be yourself.... And Lorde just proved to the whole world that you can be a NOBODY a year ago... and just for releasing something that was TRUE TO HER... something not persuaded by commercialism, she now has a Grammy in each back pocket (yes she had some kind of jean garment swag going on, I'm not sure what it is).. but anyway, lol yes she has her own unique style too... but that's what makes her AWESOME, even if you didn't really like the song.  You can't do anything but respect the fact that she got rewarded for being her.

So now, it's time to be rewarded for being YOU.  Go out there, create, do YOU and nobody else.  After no time, thanks to Youtube and the likes, you could bring home your own pair of Grammys in 2015.  Happy Recording!

SLICK
Follow me @JackOfJazz
Listen to my first release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ys3jANqDFk
Check out my team's beats at http://www.sfrbeats.com

Rehearse Your Voice

The band rehearses, why are you an exception? lol.. True a lot of singers and rappers have natural talent and believe they don't have to rehearse like musicians, but think about how you would sound if you did? Your voice is an instrument using muscles that need exercise. The stronger the muscle, the more control over your vocal performance you have. Every day or so you can do some warm up exercises, scales, all types of things that exercise the muscles used (vocal chords and diaphragm). A lot of useful vocal training videos can be found at www.YouTube.com. So then when you hear your favorite performer on TV do a spectacular run, you'll be like "OH he/she almost hit all the notes like I can!". Happy recording.